Adele’s Hyde Park Concert
“Oh My God, I can’t believe it”- me screaming/singing with Adele in Hyde Park two weekends ago. Yes, that sentence does sound like a fever dream, but it’s true. I was lucky enough to attend one of Adele’s shows with my mother and younger sister in Hyde Park on Saturday, July 2 and it’s safe to say that the experience was unforgettable.
On July 1 and 2, Adele participated in the annual music festival British Summer Time in Hyde Park (more commonly known as BST), which typically draws crowds of 65,000 people per show. The lineup for this year’s festival featured other legendary artists including Elton John, Pearl Jam, Duran Duran, and The Rolling Stones. For her portion of the show, Adele invited other iconic female artists to take the stage and the lineup included Kacey Musgraves, Mahalia, Self Esteem, Nilüfer Yanya, Tiana Major9, Chrissi, Gabrielle, Bonnie Kemplay, Ruti and Tamzene.
Since 2008, I’ve been a diehard Adele fan. I genuinely love her entire discography, and I think she’s one of the most talented artists of our time. I saw her at Madison Square Garden in 2016 and although that was a fantastic show, nothing compares to the experience I just had seeing her in her hometown in London, England. Both concerts were completely sold-out and had fans of all ages, races, and nationalities in attendance. She opened with her classic song “Hello” from 25 (2015), and continued the show with a mix of her best ballads and uptempo pieces. Her set list featured music from all four of her studio albums including “Skyfall,” “Easy On Me,” “All I Ask,” “Someone Like You,” “Rolling In The Deep,” “Oh My God,” and more. In addition to her heart-wrenching, incomparable vocals, her show featured incredible graphics, fire, fireworks, and even rain during her performance of “Set Fire to the Rain.” One of my favorite moments was when she sang her cover of Bob Dylan’s “Make You Feel My Love,” and there wasn’t a dry eye in the park. For her encore, Adele sang “When We Were Young” (and wrapped a Pride flag around her shoulders for this song) and ended the concert with an emotional rendition of “Love is a Losing Game.”
We laughed, we cried, we danced, and most importantly, we sang. That wonderful show in Hyde Park was one of the best concerts I’ve ever been to, and I will cherish the memory of it forever. Cheers to Adele, for being her hilarious, unbelievably talented self. I can’t wait to see what she does next.
